Steering mechanism for tractors



E. E. WICKERSHAM.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR TRACT ORS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT: I7. 1918- Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

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STEERING MECHANISM FOR TBACTORS.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT.- II. 1918- 1,356,680; Patented Oct. 26,1920.

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ELMER E/WICKERSHAM, or s'igocx'ron, camroimraassrenon To run Home Menu I FACTURING COMPANY, or s'rocK'roN, CALIFORNIA, A conromrrrou or CALI- FORNIA.

. Ta all whom it may concern Be it known that I,

fquin and State of California, have invented a new and'useful Me'chanism Improvement in Steering mission for motor vehicles, and particularly pertains to a speed changing and steering n. the #present instance, however, the

mechanism for tractors. v I It is the principal object of this invention a, provide a simply controlled. mechanism for driving the separate traction elements of a motor vehicle and to thus effect a steering o ithe-vehicle by the relative variation in the speeds of operation of the two traction elements, lar in result to that shownby the structure shown in my co ending application filed Se t. 18th, 1918 erial No. 254600. structure is simplified to merely incorporate means for alternately accelerating the speeds of the separate'transmission units.

In carrying out the present invention I contemplate the use of a multiple speed gear set, a driving axle in communication therewith, planetary gear mechanisms separately by the axle and incorporated within means adapted to be alternately controlled tOJ B EGCt thG different gear mechanisms and thereby vary'the-speed of the traction unit affected in relation to the normal speed of p anyin"g; .drawings, in whichirEigurdlf'is aside elevation, with parts ."L;Theinvention lustrated in the accombidktan away to disclose the rear portion of one of the tractor units and a part of power transmission mechanism; v

Fig. 2-is a view in vertical section taken 7 provided withanti-friction bearings to sup- 'port the centrally of the rear driving axle of the transmission mechanisms.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan with parts broken away to clearly disclose the control mechanism of thest'eering members.

Referring tothe drawings,'1O and 11 in- Specification of Letters Patent.

forTractors, of which the fol-- lowing is a specification.

*qljThis invention relates to a power. trans the present invention being simi- .s ite. side plates 24. 'and 25.

A STEERING MECHANISM Fort TRACTORS.

Patented 0a. 26, 1920.

Application filed October 1 7, 1918.,:Seria1 No. 258,541.

dicate the parallel side bars of the vehicle frame. transmissionsleeves '12 and 13 formed inte-.

- gralwiththe opposite sides of a transmission gear case 14. This case has two compartments, a forward compartment 15 within whicha set of speed changing gears is positioned, within which the steering shafts and the driving gear of the rear axleil'T- are positioned.

The axle 17 extends through the sleeves 12 and 1-3 and is fitted at its opposite ends with drivingpinions 18". These inion's are inc'onstant. mesh with opposite yi disposed. planetary gears gear spiders 20.- The pinio'ns' 18 arealso in constant mesh with a circumscribing ring gear 21, which, in the present instance, is

shown as fixed within the drum. of a driving sprocket-wheel 22., One of-these wheels is' disposed, as will be understood,at each end 19 carried by planetary- To these bars are fixed tubular and a rear compartment 16' of the-axle and afiords' a final drive for a link traction chain 23, as indicated in Fig. 1.

These sprocketsare provided with oppo- The outer of these plates carries central hubs within which roller bearings are positioned to rotatably support the outer ends of the" axle 17 The inner late 25 is provided 'with an enlarged hub wiiich circumscribes the trans; mission portions'12 and 13 and is rotatably supported thereupon .by roller bearings.

' connect with the-bands of these brakes and These enlarged hubs of the side'plates 25 allow them to, be's'eparately actuated to .re-

tard the rotation of'the separate sprockets; Telescoping into the transmission sleeves are tubular hubs 28 which form a part of the planetary .gear spiders 20. These hubs are independentlysupported for a rotatable motion around the axle 17 and are further them within-the sleeves of the transmission. The inner ends ofthese hubs carry is in constant mesh with the bevel-pinion 31 carried'by thevcounter-shaft32." This shaft I in the compartment 15.

extends forwardly through the compartment l5 and is shown in 1 as being fitted with fixed speed changing gears 33 and 34! These gears, may be brought to-mesh 'wlth gears 35 and*36 carried 'bythe pro:

sliding peller shaft 37, all of said ears being with- 36 are controlled by a shifting yoke 38, suitably connected with a shifting lever 39,

The. propeller shaft 37 is extended through the partition wall between com partme'nts 15 and" 16, across the compart ment l6 and out through the bearing in the rear of the transmission case.

videdwith a double faced friction disk 40.

bracket 42 which extends from the rear of the transmission case. 41 has yoke-carrying pins 43 which engage an annular groove in the hub of the disk.

The friction member has opposite bevel faces, one of which may be brouglit to bear against a cone-shaped friction disk 44, while the other may be vbrought to engage a sim1- 30 lar disk disposed upon the diametrically opposite side from the disk 44. The disk 44-is fixed to the rear end of a steering shaft 46. This shaft is parallel to the propeller shaft 37 and extends along one side thereof. The disk 45 is fixed to the 'rearwardly projecting end of the second steering shaft-4'? disposed in a similar relation to the propeller shaft as theshaft 46 and upon the oposite side of the ransmission therefrom. ach of these steering shafts is provided with'a worm gear 48 in constant mesh with complementary worm Wheels 29 carried by the sleeves of the gear spiders. I

In the operation of thepresent invention I the propeller shaft is set in rotation' by a suitable "source of power and willjthere-' .after impart driving motion to'the countershaft 32 when certain of the gears 33, '34, 35 and 36 are in engagement. This action will drive the rear axle l7 throughvthe pinion and the gear 30. Rotationof the rear axle '17 will impart rotation tothe gears 18 at its opposite ends, and, under normal conditlons, will'cause these gears to drive the gears 19 to produce', a rotation of the sprockets 22 through engagement ofthe gears 19 with the gears 21-. In this condition the gear spiders 20 and their sleeves will be locked against rotation. When it is desired to guide th'e vehicle from its straight course of travel the steering shaft 49 may be rotated to actuate the shifting lever 41 through a connecting rod' 50. If the shifting lever is drawn forwardly the friction 1 disk 40 will be brought to engagethe disk he gears 35' and l p This termi-. nating portion of the propeller shaft is pro-' The shifting lever said pinions, gear spi gears in mesh 44, and as the disk 40 is in constant rotation, rotation will thus be imparted to. the shaft 46. Y This will "apply power to the sleeve 28* ried thereon are being rotated forwardly'by the gearlS'. This will decrease the resultant speed of the's'procket 22 driven thereby, and, as the opposite sprocket is continuing at its original rate 'of speed, will cause the vehicle to turn'toward the sideof the road corresponding to the retarded sprocket.

'The reverseslidingmovement of thedisk 40 will cause engagement between this disk and the friction member'45, thus producing the same action as previously described between the shaft 47 and the corresponding spider 20. This disk is splined to the end of the shaft and may be reciprocated therealong 'by a' shifting lever 41. ,pivotally mounted to a I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat'- ent is: p

1. In a power transnnsslon mechanism, a drlve shaft, a drlvlng axle rotated thereby,

driving'pinrons fixed to the opposite ends of the axle, planetar gears in mesh with tiers circumscribing the axle and supporting said gears, ring gears in mesh with the planetary gears, worm wheels fixed tofeach Of-said spiders, com--- plementary worm-gears in mesh with said the axle, planetary gears in'mesh with said" pinions, gear spiders circumscribing the axle and sup rting said gears, ring gears in mesh wit the planetary gears, worm wheels fixed to each of said spiders, comple mentary worm gears in .mesh with said wheels and unitary m'eans for alternately wheels, power transmission means carried by. the shaft of each worm gear and a sliding transmission member upon the -main shaft adapted to be alternately brought to engage said transmission means -to produce correspondingrotation of the spider afi'ected thereby.

' 3. In a power transmission mechanism, a I

drive shaft, a driving axle rotated thereby,

driving pinions fixed to the opposite ends of the axle,'planetary gears in mesh with said pinions, gear spiders circumscribing the axle and supportlng said gears, ring with the planetary gears.-

worm Wheels fixed eacli of said spiders; Intestimony whereof I have .herenfnto set 1o complementary worm gears" in mesh with my hsndin the presenoeof two subscribing 4 said Wheels, power transmission means. carwltnesses,

ried by the sliafi: of each worm gear and a I o K friction disk 'slidably mounted. upon ,the ELMERE. WICKERfiHAM. main shaft and splined thereto; said disk V being controlled to alternately engage said Witnesses:

transmission members and impart motion E. O. Bo UIsT,

thereto.

J. Gr. SMI' 'H. 

